BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASECalifornia Desert District Office

Release Date:
07/22/11

Contacts:

David Briery 951-697-5220 or Steve Razo 951-697-5217

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News Release No. CA-CDD-11-54

Draft Environmental Study Available for Proposed Ocotillo Express Wind Project in Imperial County

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a draft environmental review for a wind energy project in Imperial County, Calif., that could generate up to 465 megawatts, on 12,436 acres of mostly BLM land, enough to power about 140,000 homes.

A notice of availability (NOA) for the Draft Land Use Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Ocotillo Express Wind Project was published in the Federal Register on July 8.

Ocotillo Express LLC has applied to the BLM for a right-of-way on public lands to construct a wind generation power plant facility approximately five miles west of Ocotillo, Calif. A small portion of the project is located on lands under the jurisdiction of Imperial County. In addition to wind turbines, related structures would include transmission lines, a substation, storage yard, office space, and an operation/maintenance shop space.

The BLM and Imperial County have prepared a joint Draft Plan Amendment and DEIS/DEIR to analyze the site-specific impacts of the proposed project. The document, which may be viewed online at: http://blm.gov/jqjd, analyzes the site-specific impacts on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, geological resources and hazards, hazardous materials handling, land use, noise, visual resources.

Publication of the NOA initiates a public comment period of 90 days, ending Oct. 5, 2011. During the comment period, the BLM and the county will hold at least one joint public meeting on the project to solicit public comment on issues, concerns, potential impacts, alternatives, and mitigation measures that should be addressed in the final analysis of the proposed action. The public will be notified at least 15 days in advance of any public meetings through local media and the BLM website at: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro.html

Further details on the proposed wind energy project can be found at the following website listed above, or by contacting Cedric Perry at (951) 697-5388, or e-mail caocotillo@blm.gov.